Vending-machine



F. BEATTIE.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 24. 1919.

IIIIIIIiiIIAIlIl F. BEATTIE.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 24. I9I 9.

1,395,941 Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F. BEATTIE.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLlcATloN man SEPT. 24. 1919.-

1 ,395,94 1 Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

UNITED STATES. viixrrzlar OFFICE.

FRANK BEATTIE, oFDETRoIm, MICHIGAN.

vENDING-MACHINE.

To all whom t 'magcoacernf e Beit ,known thatlL'lFnANK BEANIE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in .the county of Wayne and State o f Michigan, have invented certain new and.usefullmprovements in Vend.- ing-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein vto the accompanying drawings. u

This invention relates to a vending niachine, and has special reference 'to that class of. machines forgdispensingpackages, parcels and articles that .canbe' conveniently for instance, packageseof tobacco. y e l he primary object of myinvention is' .to

. provide a machine .of thel above class wherein novel package holders are employed and made adjustable sopas to accommodate packages of various sizes, lthe holders maintainingy packages in stacks or piles so that pack.- ages may be withdrawn from the base of each stack or pile, thus providing` a, gravity feed vfor the packages withvassurance that` there is always `a package in position to be delivered by the ilrlalliiie.rk Y,

Another object of this invention is to provide' a package dispensing machine `embodying holders or reservoirs from'which packages are alternately withdrawn, and to y accomplish this a novel delivery` slide member isvemployed adapted for normally retaining a package to be delivered vby areciprocatable movement of said slidel member in either direction. Associated with' the slide member is ya novel tension devicey which prevents accidental movement of the slide member.l y y A further object .of this invention is to provide a machine of the above class having a slide ordelivery member which is coin-controlled, that is, theH vending machine is `adapted to receive a coin so that the slide or delivery member may be operated, otherwise the slide or delivery member is locked and packages cannotbe surreptitiously obtained. l

A still further object of my invention is to provide a vending machine in which different kinds of packages or articles may be placed, and vin ,some instances'. the machines may be arranged in a battery'formation and thus permit of a `large variety of packages or articles being at allV times lretained convenient for a customer.y

A still further object of my invention is Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV, 1, 1921; applia'cibn measeptember 24, 1919. seriaiNo. 325,843. i

to provide a package. dispensing machinewherein the parts arev constructed with a viewy to reducing the cost of manufacture and at the same time retain those featuresH ,Fig-111'@ l 1S a longitudlnal Sectional View of a portion of the machine 1T-ig.` 2 ,isv a perspective View of the ,ma-

Chine;k

1 Fig isl a plan of a portionof the machine showing one positionof :the delivery members;

AF ig. .4 is a similar view showing another position ofa delivery member;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view .of a portion of the-vending machine, illustrating one of the units thereof; e

.Fc-igt is an enlarged cross sectional view of aportion `of the coin-controlled Vmechanismgganud v u F ig. 7 isa perspective view of a tempo:- rary coin holder. ,f n e In ,describing my invention byl aid ofthe views above referred to, I desire to point out that the same are intended as merely illustrative ofthe vending machine as now constructed and used, and I do not vcare to conne my invention to the precise construction and arrangement of parts, other than defined by the appended claims.

The machine as best shown in Figs. l and 2 comprises an Voblong casing having side.

walls il, a front wall 2, a bottom wall 3,

a hinged or detachable lid 4 and a rear wall (not shown).l The hinged lid 4 permits of lock, generally designated 5.

T he casing is supported in an elevated position by legs 6 and the frontl wall 2 is of greater ydepth than the side walls l so that its lower edge will be in proximity to adelivery chute 7 mounted between the front legs `6 and connected to the bottom wall 3, as at 8, so that the upper end of said chute will communicate with openings 9` in the bottom wall 3 :through which packages pass wheny being delivered by the machine.4 Y

`The easing as now constructed -contains two units, which as far as the operation of .the side walls 1 thereof. Disposed parallel to the upper and lower edges of the partition 10 and connecting the Side walls 1 are transverse bars 11 having slots 12 longitudinally alining with slots-13 in the upper and lower edges of the partition 10 and extending into kthe slots 12 and '13 are stud bolts 14carried by longitudinal parallel vertically disposed partitions 15. These partitions have the upper and lowerV ends thereof, adjacent the rear edges, provided with a series of openings 16a` to receive stud bolts 16 carried by the upper and lower ends of a partition 17. Nuts 18 may be screwedV on the stud bolts 14 and 16 to hold the partitions 15 and 17 in ad- A justed positions relative to the partition 10 and the bars 11. It is through the medium of the adjustable partitions 15 and 17 that the area Vof the holder may be increased or decreased to receive packages or parcels and maintain the same in stacked or piled forman tion, as best shown in Fig. 1. The packages are designated 19 and are adapted to be withdrawn one at a time, from the bottom of the holder, with the lower most package resting on the bottom wall 3 or a delivery member on said bottom wall.

The delivery member comprises an oblong horizontally disposed frame 20 having the rear end thereof provided with av tension board 21 and its forward end with a housing 22, said board and said housing normally engaging guide blocks or guide brackets 23, carried by the bottom wall. 3, so that the delivery member may be reciprocated by an operating rod 24 connected to the housing 22 and extending through the front wall 2 of the machine casing. The'operating rod 24 has a suitable knob or handle which permits of the delivery member being pushed inwardly or drawn outwardly, when released.

The tension b'oard'21` has longitudinal grooves25 and slots 26 and engaging said tension board are the ends 27 and 28 of a t coiled spring` 29 loosely supported on a transverse rod 30, carried by brackets 31 mounted onthebottom wall 3, said rod servingvas a support for the spring vof an adjoining unit. As shown in Fig. 5 thespring end 27 engages in one of the grooves 25 of the tension board and the other spring end engages the extreme rear end of saidboard. The spring 29` is therefcre maintained under `tension and holds the delivery member in its outermost position, so that said member cannot accidentally slide.v When the delivery'member,

is pushed inwardly by the rod 24, the spring c end 27 rides in its groove until it encounters the slot 26 of the tension board, when it extends through said slot, while the spring end 28 engages in itsgroove. The ends of the spring therefore alternately serve to hold the tension board at its shifted position, and the bottom wall 3 is slotted, as at 32, to provide clearance for the ends 27 and 28 of the Vspring 29. 4

In the housing 22and attachedA to the forward end of the frame 20 is a ratchet baiI 33 having heads 34. and 35. The ratchet bar is longitudinally slotted, as at 36, andv one i member 40 which is adj ustably held between angle bars 41 connected to the lower side of the bottom wall 3 and extending transversely of the machine casing. The coinvreceiving member 40has a coinv passage`42 to receive a coin 43 admitted thereto through a chute Y 44 extending from the upper end of the passage 42 to a coin slot 45 in the front wall 2 of the machine casino, said coin slot being` above' a window 46 iiiD the front wall 2. The'coin receiving member 40 is recessed; as at 47, to receive a pivoted pawl 48 normally engaged by a spring 49 whichV is adapted to retain the lower end of a' pawl in engagement with the coin 43 and the upper end of a pawl in engagement with the ratchet bar 33 or the heads 34 and 35 thereof. With the upper end of the pawl 48y engaging the head 35. as shown in Fig. 5,it is necessary for the delivery member to 4be pushed inwardly before the coin 43 can be released. Andwhen said coin is released, as will hereinafter appear, it is deposited in a chute 50 extending'to the front wall 2 of the machine casing, said chute terminating abovel a pivoted Vspring pressed coin holder or 'gate 51, best shown in Fig. 7. The

coin holder or gate is adapted to temporar' ily hold the coin 43 at a small window 52 in the front wall 2, so that a customer can determine when the coin has been properly used. Extending inwardly from the holder or gate 51 is an arm 53 to which'arel con-v nected cables 54 extending through hangers 55 carried by the bottom wall3. Theupper ends of the cables 54 are connected to the lower ends of levers 56 fulcrumed in bearings 57 of the bottom wall 3, so that the upper ends of said levers will extend through openings 58 in the bottomwall 3'and into the slot 36 of the delivery member. tile springs 59 are connected to the lower ends of the levers 56 to maintain said levers Retrac# kllO normally vertically disposed and in the path of the heads 34 and 35 of the ratchet bar 33.

A receptacle 60 is suitably mounted in the delivery chute 7 against the front wall 2 of the machine casing, so as to receive coins released by the holder or gate 51, and access is had to the receptacle 60 through a suitable door Way in the side wall of the chute 7, said door way being normally closed by a door 61, as best shown in F ig. 2.

Considering the operation of the machine, with the delivery member in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the lowermost package in the forward package holder rests on the bottom wall 3 and in the forward end of the frame 20, while the lowermost package in the rear package holder rests on the tension board 21 of said delivery member. Vith the coin` 43 engaging the lower end of the pawl 48 the upper end of said pawl will be held so that it cannot engage the teeth 37 of the ratchet bar 33, when the delivery member is pushed inwardly, but if no coin is in engagement with the lower end ofthe pawl 48, then the spring 49 forces the upper end of the pawl into engagement with the teeth 37 when the delivery member receives its initial inward movement. F urther movement of the delivery member is prevented by the teeth 37 and consequently the delivery member cannot be successfully operated without a coin being in the machine. Again assuming that the coin holds the pawl 48 the cam 38 will eventually impinge against the upper end of the pawl 48, retract the lower end of the pawl against the action of the spring 49, and release the coin 43 so that it may descend in the chute 50 to the temporary holder or gate 51.

On the initial movement of the delivery member the coin previously held within the holder or gate 51 is released to enter ythe receptacle 60 and this is brought about by the head 34 of the ratchet bar 33 engaging the upper end of the forwardmost pin 56, tilting said pin until it engages in front of the head 34 by which time the holder or gate 51 is closed to receive the next coin.

After the cam 38 actuates the pawl48 to release the coin 43, theV upper end of the pawl recedes over the forwardmost teeth 37, which are reversely disposed relative to the'rearwardmost teeth 37 and as the delivery member moves inwardly the lowermost packagein theforwardmost holder is shifted over the opening 9 and through said opening into the delivery chute 7 from where it may be obtained at theV front wall 2 of the machine. The machine having delivered a package is now left with passes the head 34 engaging the upper end of the pawl 48 and when another coin is deposited in the machine the deliverymember may be pulled outwardly to transfer a package from the rearmost holder to thevopening 9, the package having automatically dropped into the rear end of the frame 20 during the previous operation ofthe machine. On the rearward stroke of the delivery member the foremost pin 56 is actuated to open the temporary coin-holder or gate 51 and in this manner one ofthe pins actuates the temporary coin holder on an inward stroke of the delivery member and the other pin actuates the temporary coin holder on an outward stroke of the delivery member.

Considering the two units shown in F ig. 3 it is apparent that four different sizes of packages may be housed within the single machine casing but it is preferable to provide only for two sizes, so that similar packages will be delivered for coins of like denomination. However, various combinations can be worked out and with the machines in battery formation it is possible to vend or dispense a large variety of articles.

What I claim is z* y 1. The combination with a vending machine, of package holders therefor, each holder comprising a slotted stationary partition, a slotted bar, longitudinal apertured partitions between said bar and said stationary partition, and stud bolts carried by said partitions and adjustably held in the slots of said bar and stationary partition, and adjustable partition between said longitudinal partitions, and stud bolts carried by said adjustableV partitions and engaging in the apertures of said longitudinal partitions, sokthat the area of said holder may be increased andl decreased.

2. In a vending machine, a reciprocatableV delivery member comprising an oblong frame, an operating rod supported from one end thereof, a slotted and grooved tension board at the opposite end of said frame, and a spring supported adjacent said board and having end convolutions alternately engaging in the grooves of said board and one end of said spring adapted to engage in a slot of said board so that said spring is constantly under tension to hold said member against accidental movement.

ln testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

'y FRANK BEATTIE.

VWitnesses:

ANNA M. DoRR, KARL H. BUTLER. 

